Alcohol is a substance that is socially well accepted. We toast with champagne, meet friends for beer or celebrate great news and events by opening a good wine.
On the other hand, there is a stigma about alcoholic people. In this case, we are not referring to moderate intake on rare occasions, but to the constitution of an addictive behavior disorder.
The Alcohol addiction entails a series of psychological, biological and social consequences. In addition to stigmatization and rejection from others, other important problems may appear at a social level, such as those that occur within the couple. Keep reading and in Psychology-Online we will tell you What is the behavior of an alcoholic with his partner?. We will see the profile of the alcoholic, if an alcoholic can love, why alcoholics lie, why an alcoholic when he drinks seems like another person and the consequences of living with an alcoholic.
What happens in the mind of an alcoholic? Alcohol is a substance that has a direct impact on the nervous system of the person who consumes it. The consequences of consuming alcohol are not only physical, but also psychological and social.
Physical consequences of alcohol
- Vascular problems such as arrhythmias, hypertension or heart attack.
- Liver problems such as cirrhosis or hepatitis.
- Problems related to the pancreas.
- Different types of cancer such as liver, colorectal or oropharyngeal cancer.
- Weakening of the immune system.
Psychological consequences of alcohol
- Disinhibition.
- Increased aggressiveness.
- Memory problems.
- Insomnia.
- Memory problems.
- Depressive symptoms.
- Anxiety symptoms.
- In severe cases they may appear and/or .
- Withdrawal syndrome with the decrease or cessation of consumption.
In this article, you can see more information about .
Social consequences of alcohol
- Labor problems.
- Stigmatization.
- Social rejection.
- Family and relationship problems.
There are several disorders associated with alcohol included in the main diagnostic classifications and which are set out below.
DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association)
This classification recognizes four types of related disorders:
- Alcohol use disorder.
- Alcohol intoxication.
- Alcohol abstinence.
- Unspecified alcohol-related disorder: the criteria for the previous conditions are not met but there are symptoms, clinically significant discomfort and/or deterioration in areas such as social or work.
ICD-11 (World Health Organization)
- Episode of harmful alcohol consumption.
- Harmful pattern of alcohol consumption.
- Alcohol dependence.
- Alcohol poisoning.
- Alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
- Delirium induced by alcohol consumption.
- Psychotic disorder induced by alcohol consumption.
- Other: other alcohol-induced disorders, other specified alcohol-use disorders, and alcohol-use disorders (unspecified).
As we see, alcohol consumption is heterogeneous: we can drink a lot but rarely, we may need to drink every day, we may present symptoms when we stop consuming, etc. Therefore, the profile of alcohol consumers can be very different. In this article we talk about.
What do we understand by an alcoholic person? Usually We associate alcoholism with dependence, addiction, the need to consume. However, we cannot ignore the rest of the related conditions that can also cause social, work, and physical and mental health problems.
To talk about the behavior of an alcoholic as a couple is to group together a series of very heterogeneous people. This implies that the type of behavior will be very diverse.
However, there seem to be behaviors that have received greater attention due to the frequency with which they appear or their magnitude. Based on the guide by Roberts, LJ and McCrady, BS (2003), we present them below and tell you how an alcoholic behaves with his partner.
1. Violence
Aggressive behavior within the couple is one of the most studied characteristics of the profile of the alcoholic with his partner. This behavior becomes even more important in the context of . Studies show that Physical violence against a partner increases with alcohol consumption. This does not mean that all alcoholics use violence against their partner, but it does increase the possibility of this happening.
2. Aggression and family conflicts
Alcohol consumption causes disinhibition, which can increase aggressive responses. Furthermore, regardless of the existence of physical violence, arguments between the couple would be frequent. Communication problems and failure to resolve conflicts would also contribute to these conflicts appearing.
It is likely, as we will see in the next section, that the alcoholic person consumes alone, without his or her partner finding out. This will lead to the appearance of lies and hiding behaviors that can trigger marital conflicts.
3. Distancing
As we have pointed out in the introduction, alcoholic people suffer significant stigmatization. Abusing alcohol is not frowned upon by society. Probably, consumption will not be welcomed by the partner, so the alcoholic will distance himself and try to find (increasingly) moments alone to be able to consume.
4. Infidelity
Research has also associated infidelity towards one’s partner and alcohol consumption, explaining that consumption would be a risk factor for adulterous behavior. Therefore, infidelity would be another possible characteristic of an alcoholic’s behavior with his or her partner. In case you find yourself in this situation, in this article we talk about .
5. Jealousy
Special attention has been paid to the study of the alcoholic person in the context of the couple. There have even been authors who have proposed jealousy as one of the causes of alcoholism, although more recent studies suggest that this is not the case. However, there does seem to be a significant prevalence of jealous behavior in alcoholic people.
6. Economic insecurity
In this sense, the alcoholic person can lying to your partner about financial matters. Keep in mind that if consumption occurs in private, the expense will also be made without the couple knowing. The need to consume will also increase spending, which can be a source of conflict within the couple.
7. Anxiety and irritability
Keep in mind that between consumption and consumption there may appear abstinence syndromeso the alcoholic patient may appear irritable and anxious in general and with his or her partner in particular.